How to make more money when you sell your home

Before you put your house on the market, consider making a few changes to enhance your home’s value. Natalie Arrowsmith,one of Apopka’s premier real estate agents, says there are three things to consider. Paying attention to these three things can get you top dollar when it’s time to put your home on the market.

Decide which improvements and updates add the most value

Most people know that updating appliances and other fixtures in a house will increase the home’s value. It is important to not underestimate how helpful updates can be to increasing the value of your home.

“While improvements, repairs and updates will cost you money now, they will pay off once you start showing your home and receiving offers,” said Arrowsmith the owner and founder of Arrowsmith Realty in Apopka.

Updating the appliances, flooring, paint, counters, and interior fixtures can easily land you a higher selling price. By spending the money to update the house yourself, buyers are more likely to make higher offers because they know they will not have to do anything once they move in. Spending some up-front money will actually make you “more money” when it is time to sell your home. Putting a home on the market that looks like it needs a lot of work is an easy way to scare off potential buyers.

“The perceived values of what the improvements will be are always a lot higher in the buyer’s mind than what the actual cost is,” said Arrowsmith. “But be careful not to spend money in areas that will not increase the value or overbuild the neighborhood.”

Stage the home

It is important to stage the home you are selling so that buyers can imagine their family living in the space.

“Empty homes usually sell for less and can actually be very difficult to sell,” warned Arrowsmith. “If you arrange furniture and décor in a welcoming way, buyers can visualize their own family living in the space.”

The design of the staging can showcase the kind of lifestyle that the home offers.

“The staged homes are likely to get higher offers because they are show ready and again, buyers can visualize how the home will flow and the livability of the home feel and how it could work for their family,” said Arrowsmith.

Professional deep cleaning

Chances are you’ve lived in the home you’re trying to sell for a substantial amount of time. That means that mopping the floors and dusting the furniture is probably not going to cut it when it comes time to put your house on the market.

“Cleanliness is one of the biggest underestimated selling points of a home,” said Arrowsmith.

Buyers look at every single aspect of a future home, making it almost essential for you to hire a professional cleaner. Spending a few hundred dollars to have a pro come out and deep clean (including steam-cleaning the carpets) could potentially earn you thousands on closing day.